RETIREMENT OF MORTY HARRIS

This past year saw the retirement of Professor Morton (Morty) Harris. Morty joined our faculty in 1974 as an Associate Professor, and was promoted to Full Professor in 1976. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1960 under the direction of the eminent algebraist Richard Brauer. Before coming to the University of Minnesota he held positions at Clark University, Tufts University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle where he reached the rank of Associate Professor. Morty’s chosen field of mathematics was finite group theory. This is one of the core areas of mathematics and has been a focus of intense study. Morty pursued a vigorous research program throughout his academic career and collaborated fruitfully with scholars both in the U.S. as well as in Europe, especially in France. He enjoys traveling and he has held numerous short term visiting positions in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Israel. His zest for mathematics and his cheerful humor will be missed in our department.

Following retirement Morty has moved with his wife Ilene to Chicago, where he has many personal and mathematical connections. He intends to stay active in mathematics. We wish him the best in this new stage of his distinguished career.

RESIGNATIONS

AVNER FRIEDMAN

Regents’ Professor Avner Friedman resigned from his position at the University of Minnesota in order to continue as Director of the Mathematical Biosciences Institute at the Ohio State University. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and recipient of many other major honors, Professor Friedman is one of the world’s leading mathematicians. Although his departure is a great loss to the School of Mathematics, the new Biosciences initiative in which he has had a pivotal role for the past two years is of major importance nationally.

Avner joined our faculty in 1987, serving as Director of the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) for ten years. He subsequently founded, and directed, our highly successful Minnesota Center for Industrial Mathematics (MCIM). While the IMA is an NSF funded research institute affiliated with the department, the MCIM is a part of the department which deals with the issues of the industrial mathematics component of our graduate studies program, such as development of special courses and arranging industrial internships for the students. Both of these institutions remain vibrant under the guidance of his successors.

A Conference on Current Trends in Mathematics and its Applications, in honor of Avner’s 70th Birthday, was held at the University November 8 - 10, 2002. The Conference, sponsored by the School of Mathematics and by the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, was attended by many leading mathematicians.

At the dinner event, Professor Fernando Reitich who chaired the organizing committee read a message from the then department Head Professor Naresh Jain who was unable to attend. In his message Naresh thanked Avner for his great contributions to both the IMA and the School of Mathematics and expressed admiration for his achievements. He went on to say, “I, together with my colleagues, have always marveled at the amount of energy that you possessed to bring so many great ideas to a successful conclusion. You always liked new challenges and embarked on the creation of the math-biology center at Ohio State. You have our best wishes for the success of this new venture, and we know you will succeed.”

JOHN LOWENGRUB

One of our outstanding applied mathematicians, Professor John Lowengrub, has accepted a position at the University of California, Irvine.

John became a member of our faculty in 1992 as an Assistant Professor. He received his Ph.D. in 1988 from the Courant Institute and held prestigious postdoctoral appointments including a Szego Assistant Professorship at Stanford University as well as a Visiting Membership at the Institute for Advanced Study before joining our faculty. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1995 and to Full Professor in 1999. His major recognitions include the McKnight Foundation Professorship (1994-1996), the Sloan Foundation Fellowship (1995-1997), and the 1998 Francois Frenkiel Award of the American Physical Society.

John’s research is in numerical analysis and applications to materials science and fluid flow. He collaborated extensively with researchers in
chemical engineering and aerospace engineering departments, including joint supervision of Ph.D. students. He also served as a mentor of postdoctoral researchers.

As a dynamic researcher and collaborator John was a notable member of the School of Mathematics. We wish him the best in his new position.